I'm going to be replacing my tent canvas in the next couple of months. Mine has a couple of rips from wear and will not keep out the rain any more. The 3 window canvas sold here looks great!
Any thoughts about cotton vs. acrylic? Aside from the color choices, why would I choose one vs the other?
Does the canvas come with installation instructions? Any chance they could be posted/linked to here? I'm trying to figure out if this is a project I should take on myself, or if I need a professional. Where I live (Monterey Bay, CA), there aren't any shops within a couple of hours drive that would be able to do the install.
Omi
I prefer the cotton. From installing lots of these it seems like the more durable, and in the cold, warmer material.
As far as the install goes.
-Pop the top.
-Walk around back and you will see where the rubber seal bead comes together. Pull the end of it out. You might have to use the tip of a screw driver, dental pick, etc. Then just walk around the van pulling it all out of its track. Make sure to kinda look at it and see how it is seated in the rail so you know how to reinstall it.
-Using a #1 screwdriver bit. Unscrew all of the UPPER rail. You will see that the top fabric is simply pinched into the groove of the upper rail.
-The top is a giant "loop". Now that it is totally loose you need to simply loop it up and over the top to get it off. (like taking off a t-shirt, its not rocket surgery).
-Install the new fabric the same way you took the other off.
-Now, I would lower the top about 8" to give it some slack to install the new parts. On vans with gas struts I just use a motorcycle tie down from the handle to one of the seat bases. On tops with a "H-bar" I have a long piece of wood I use to prop it up from the floor.
-Start at the front of the top and reinstall all of the trim and screws. The rope sits in the channel and the screws go through it. Work your way around back.
-Now start to push the rubber seal into the bottom track, pinching the top into the track. 2 ribs of the 3 rib seal seat easily with your thumbs. Install 2-3 feet at a time and then come back and tap the 3rd rib in with a rubber mallet and a dull tip "____". I dulled a big screwdriver for this.
Thats basically it. Good luck.